Monsters Have Hearts Too
by Marien Verity Reed
Summary: Regret can be a strong motivator, and one that leads the leader of the Akatsuki, a group of outcast monsters, to raise a baby girl. However, it's only a matter of time before he pushes her and all hope away when the unspoken truths and deceit become too much. AU. RATED M.


**Author's Note**

Hello! It's been a very long time since my last story. I have high hopes for this new one, and I'd be delighted if you guys liked it too. Thank you to everyone who has liked, favorites, and reviewed my story Himitsu no Yoake. It's really been a huge motivator for me to continue writing in the Naruto world, and the whole reason I returned. Now on with the slightly important stuff and then the story. Enjoy the series!

This is completely AU and does **not** follow the Naruto storyline. Some ages have been changed and possibly a bit of tweaking with personalities, but I will never stray too far from their original creation. The universe is a mixture of fantasy, medieval, and ancient Japan. Warnings for gore, violence, strong language, and possible sexual content.

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The fire blazed under the pale moonlight, and screams ripped from the throats of citizens fleeing for their lives. Horses neighed and generals called out orders above the roars of panic. Spears flew through the air at a figure coated in darkness. The menacing creature lunged towards the soldiers, devouring them whole. Its orange mane was soaked in blood that splattered with each shake of its lion-like head. Starlight glistened along its razor-sharp teeth that crunched down on human bone and tore at flesh that caught between its fangs. A large paw slammed down on a fleeing soldier, and nails dug into the man's back, exposing his spine and innards. At least his scream was short as his life ended quickly.

The monster tilted its head up and roared in triumph over the destruction. The last of the cavalry had been decimated, and nothing was left aside from fleeing civilians who had no hope to cling to.

A woman quivered in place as her azure eyes watched the beast tear apart her neighbors and friends. Tears slid down her dirt-covered cheek and stung the small cut under her chin. Her chapped lips pursed together, and she briefly shut her eyes in a vain attempt to imagine the small village as it once was; lush with tall grass and rows of flowers blossoming with the beginning of spring. The vibrant, blue sky and puffy, white clouds were reflected in the still waters of the rice fields, which lifted a sweet scent into the air that attracted colorful birds to make nests in the nearby trees.

Now blood and fire consumed the once green lands, burning the homes of birds and people alike. Only the black and red sky was reflected in those pools where rice would never grow again. A monster stood where once proud soldiers watched over their village, their sisters, brothers, and parents—everyone dead or dying.

She nearly screamed when a hand landed on her shoulder, but her own fear caught in her raw, dry throat. She could barely show her relief when she saw it was only her husband. The very thought that she might never see him again made her tremble and her eyes burst with tears.

"I am sorry, my love. But there will be time for grieving later. We have a daughter who needs us."

That's right, the newly made mother thought. Only two weeks into this world, and it was already crashing down around her. Her child should never have to live with this atrocity, but her mother would sooner see her escape than to accept they might not survive the night.

Her husband, a broad man with dark, shaggy hair and tanned skin, handed his wife the sleeping bundle and smiled at their little creation with eyes that sparkled with youth despite his growing age. He tucked a strand of cherry red hair back underneath the worn quilt that shaped the baby's face. A tiny thumb bobbed in her small mouth, and the sight brought a tear to his eye.

"She will live," he said, staring at his terrified wife. They both knew that there was a chance they might not be so lucky. "This way now." They ran off deeper into the inferno with wails of agony and fear behind them.

Despite their desperate attempt at escape, in only a matter of minutes the monstrous fiend was on their trail. It lashed out with dual tails that had metal spikes growing along the ridges. Rubble fell in the couple's path, and the mother wailed as the end drew near. Her husband dodged in front of her, and pushed her further behind him. No time for solemn goodbyes, as he yelled for her to keep running and never to look back.

Both parents glanced at their baby, and then she rushed off with tears clouding her vision. She knew the fate of her husband; there was no need to look back.

The man smiled at his wife's retreating form for only the second that he shared with the beast. It looked back at him with pale lavender eyes that looked like ripples captured in a single moment.

He thought of the day he met his beautiful bride while she played in the lake, creating lovely ripples around her slender form. The sunlight reflected in her eyes as if she had captured the sun, and her hair danced along the water's surface as she sunk back under. Instead of working, he joined the captivating woman in the glistening, white waters where they splashed and then danced with bodies pressed together. Their lips met, and they both knew it was destiny.

It would be best to think the man was lost in his blissful thoughts than to imagine he felt the jaws of teeth clamp on his broken body. The beast spent little more time with the corpse before it sprinted after the woman. Its heavy body moved the ground and toppled buildings too weak from the fire to stand much longer. By now those fires had died somewhat, but there was still light by the ones still lit and the brilliant moonlight hanging in the blackened sky.

The mother fell to her knees when the ground shook, but she quickly gathered herself to keep pressing on. She held her baby tighter whose hands reached out for mother's touch. She slid a single finger between her baby's grasping fingers and marveled at the tiny digits. Her similar red hair draped around the little miracle, shielding her from scenes she was hopefully too young to remember.

"Almost there my dahling," she whispered to the infant. The forest loomed just over the hill, acting like a welcoming and safe beacon of hope.

The sound of moaning and then cracking wood followed by excruciating pain interrupted her moment of relief. It changed to horror as she cradled her baby in one arm and pushed against the wooden beam with the other. Her legs were trapped underneath the heavy structure, and she thought of all the things she'd give up if only to escape. However, she needed to protect her child. Without many options left, she tried to hide the bundle under a fallen banner, which had once flown high and proud. Hopefully it still served them in one young mother's desperation.

She cried out as the splinted wood cut her skin, and then sank into muscle and between bone. Her struggling became frantic as she pushed and pulled her body in whichever direction it would move, but it only ended in further tearing and blood pooling over her legs.

Paws dug in the dirt that became moist with the sudden rain, and nails flung mud into maroon fur with each step. Darkness slowly crept in as the water drenched the fires, and even the moon no longer illuminated the grisly scene below.

It stalked closer to the trapped woman, pressing down on the beam and sent it crushing the bones underneath. The woman's screams were filled with more anguish as her bones were snapped and her legs twisted in a gory mess. No longer wanting to play with its prey, the beast granted the woman an end when its claws tore apart the rest of her body.

Sated by the complete destruction, the monster trudged through the bitter wind and icy rain only to turn at a sound. Its pierced ears twisted in the direction of a faint cry, but it sounded much louder to its sensitive hearing. The beast trotted back through the mush and sniffed at the ground. Most of what it smelled was human remains, but there was a faint scent of something else—something alive. Saliva oozed from its agape mouth as it hunted down its prey with keen eyes scanning the terrain for any sign of movement. Then it saw the faintest of vibrations in a clothed flag. Sensing no real threat, the beast tore back the weak barrier with its teeth and prepared to strike.

Then it stopped and stared at the wriggling baby that had shaken off her blanket to reveal a soft, fleshy chest. Her cheeks were puffy and pink, and her eyes were sealed shut as she cried. A few strands of red hair collected dirt and smeared it across her peachy forehead.

The beast's looming form blocked out all the rain, and the baby seemed to settle down though she still looked unhappy. She opened blue eyes that were similar to the woman that the monster had killed only moments ago. Realization dawned fast on the beast, and it felt an emotion that had never presented itself before: regret. It was deep and seethed inside of the creature like an untamable fire. The beast coughed though it sounded more like a throaty growl. However, the baby was too young to understand danger or size, and instead saw something fuzzy and possibly warm.

Something else bubbled alongside the regret, and that was a calm that the monster had never felt in this form. As it leaned its now closed mouth towards the infant, it realized that the calm was resonating from this human child. Although a fascinating discovery, the beast settled over the child and relaxed as her tiny fingers grasped at fur and whiskers, pulling though not enough to harm or feel uncomfortable. Her playful laughter soothed the beast's anger, which gave it a mind to think again.

It'd orphaned this child of both parents and home. The destruction closed in around it, and the screams of the innocent filled its ears. Emotional tears slipped from its spiral eyes, and it tilted its head away from the baby to howl its sadness at the moon. The moon shone down at it, as if weeping along with the beast.

Then a little noise caught its attention, and it peered back down at the baby. She wiggled in her loose cocoon and made grabby hands towards its fur, but what she ended up reaching for was a man's necklace. Her fingers brought the black beads to her mouth, avoiding the talon shaped ones, and she looked up at the pierced face of the man who held her. His eyes matched those of the lion beast, but sorrow had replaced madness.

The man shielded her from the rain with his black cloak, and then trudged through the wreckage and mud towards his safe haven. He held her closer and grimaced as he passed over shredded bodies that no longer resembled anything human. Decay and various other humanly smells assaulted his nose, and he hoped that the little wonder in his arms wouldn't remember these scents.

She had since fallen asleep by the time he reached the industrial city that he called home. Narrow buildings made of stone and metal stretched high into the clouds. Lights dotted the entire city, but it didn't necessarily glow with illumination. Most of it was casted in shadows, but the homes and streets shone with a golden shimmer. He passed by potted plants as he climbed the skinny pathway up the sloped hill. He wasn't the richest citizen of Ame, though he managed to scrape by in a rather large _kura-zukuri_ style home along the hill he'd been climbing. From here he could see the heart of the city with its train circling the massive dome.

He turned around to the entrance of his house and slid open the front door. He slipped out of his shoes and removed his cloak that was heavy with rainwater. Light footsteps caught his attention, and the room was flooded with light.

A woman with light blue hair and dressed in a darker blue dress stood in front of him with a serious face, though he knew that underneath she was relieved to see him. She stepped forward, the _tatami_ crunching under her bare feet, and narrowed her amber eyes at the bundle in his arms.

"Pein, what is that?" Konan asked, her eyes now on him.

The man kept his gaze on the sleeping baby with her fingers still loose on his necklace.

"A child," he answered, the whole truth choking in his chest.

Konan could read every word of what had happened on his face, but fear still nudged in the corners of her brain. She repeated to herself that she trusted her best friend's judgment, but couldn't help voicing some of her concerns.

"Have you truly thought about this?" She asked, following him down the hall. "We don't even know how to raise a child. On top of that, what will the others think? What will _she_ think of us when she grows up?"

It's true, Pein had not thought of this. He hadn't thought clearly at all, but he knew that he couldn't leave her out in the rain and sleet. He wouldn't allow this child to grow up as an orphan like he had, but worse since she would be alone.

"It'll work out, Konan. As for what we are, only you and I will know that she doesn't know the truth about us. The others will never speak of it," Pein mostly answered, and Konan gave him a look to continue with the rest. "I'll raise her. True, I don't know the first thing about parenting, but I owe it to Takara to take care of her from now on."

Pein replaced the tattered and mucky quilt with a fresh blanket. He ignored the suspicious look on Konan's face, but he couldn't escape her question.

"Takara?"

"It means treasure. I think it's perfect for her. After all, she needs a name."

He rubbed his thumb over the little girl's head, and even smiled as she grabbed his finger in her sleep. Raising a child had never been in any of his plans, especially in such a wretched world like this, and it wasn't going to be easy with the company he surrounded himself with.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Konan said, resigning to her room.

"Me too."


End file.
